Day 3 — unexpected early snow in St. Louis and Hitchcock’s thoughts (public ones, at least) on Sharks

ST. LOUIS — The snow was supposed to hold off until afternoon so imagine the surprise when leaving the local lodging and finding a fresh coat and more falling.

Here at the airport now and it doesn’t look as if there are any flight delays. Good thing, because I’m cutting it as close as I ever have, not getting to DCA until about 2:30 p.m. — only about five hours before faceoff against the Capitals, three hours before we get our only pre-game access to the Sharks.

(Today’s travel, by the way, takes me from STL to Charlotte and on to Washington. Have I mentioned how ridiculously expensive the airline industry has made direct flights these days?)

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Anyway, not a whole lot to add to last night’s 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues that wasn’t in the print edition story linked in the right-hand column. Pretty simple to explain, actually, between the Sharks’ lack of power play success and those 5-on-3 goals by the Blues.

But here’s something from the St. Louis locker room after the game from Ken Hitchcock. And I’ll let you decide if he was just blowing smoke or not.

“I think there’s a respect factor that we have for (San Jose),” Hitchcock said. “They’re a final four team. I think we’re a little afraid if we don’t check, what’s going to happen.

“We’ve seen them dominate teams and really steam-roll teams, and I think a little bit out of fear … they’ve got a lot of good players over there and if we check hard, we give ourselves a fighting chance and that’s exactly what we did today. We checked really hard today.”

That they did, of course, especially after the first 10 minutes of the opening period.

Which may be the answer to the question being posed in the San Jose locker room after the game: How could a power play that was so successful in its last five games, going 8 for 17, look so incredibly ineffective — not only going 0-for-4, but not even generating any good scoring chances?

Here was Todd McLellan’s complete answer, some of which appeared in the story.

“You have to give them some credit first of all,” the coach said. “They were well prepared and they played hard. They won a lot of faceoffs.

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“We just couldn’t get it out of the crap is what we call it,” he continued. “We didn’t win enough battles in the corners, we weren’t stick strong, we didn’t get our eyes off the boards and never had a chance to establish any momentum in their end to wear them out.

“They would get fresh guys on the ice and do it again. It was a frustrating night that way.”

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

Greiss sure looked good in the first 39 minutes- made a lot of great saves. He was screened well on the last two Cap goals, not his fault.

just saying

that it is pretty obvious that the team visited the centipede vet, and they found their legs….

just saying

Pierre, who is desperately looking for a coaching job, but he ain’t getting it, had a man crush on the Urban Legend in the first period. As somebody said, Pierre may have upped the UL’s value and we may get a 5 rounder in exchange.

Johnny San Jose

What a fun game to be at tonight. On the way to pick up our tickets I ran into Drew Remenda having dinner outside of the arena. We chatted a bit and he was really nice to my son. He asked for us to bring some luck. We did… 🙂

Fans were very hospitable. Vlasic is tremendous and was out there against Ovie all game. For those saying we can’t play with fast teams, I beg to differ. The Caps are the fastest team I’ve seen.

It’s been a great trip. American History Museum, Natural History Museum, Air and Space Museum. National Archives. Capital tour. White House and Washington Monument. We’ll hit the Lincoln, Jefferson and War memorials tomorrow and then head to the airport.

Johnny San Jose

One more thing… We were sitting in the suite right next to the Capitals players’s fathers.

They didn’t have a very good night. 🙂

MLBSF

ML says:
February 13th, 2012 at 6:50 pm

I wonder where MLBSF is?
Oh, and SJsharks87: How you liking Patty tonight?
————-

ML,

Thanks for slipping up and making my point precisely.

“Patty” was once again a day late and a dollar short.

The Sharks didn’t need to win tonight against Washington. The Sharks dominate Washington, and because Washington is the most screwed up, dysfunctional team in hockey, the Sharks didn’t need to beat them to gain any confidence.

They did need to beat St. Louis, however, to get some confidence they can beat the Blues. However, they left with no confidence, and an 0-3 record against that team because “Patty” didn’t kick in a goal or two.

This is my whole point. The Sharks and Marleau and company shine in games we don’t need as much.

So yea ML, loved what I saw for the most part (with the exception of the Sharks taking their foot off the gas and getting lazy in the 3rd like they usually do).

But we need to see this against teams we struggle against like St. Louis. We can beat Washington with one skate tied behind our backs. So don’t put me down as being impressed.

jt

Lol pretty much on cue. MBS missing for the whole game then finding some obscure angle to criticize shows he is a garden-variety troll.

Alex

With two goals tonight Marleau now has 379 career goals which ties him with Claude Lemieux for #100 all time. Considering that he scored all his goals in Sharks uniform that’s pretty significant for the franchise, love him or hate him.

Hatrick Marleau

NBC is very biased. They praise Holtby the whole game and ignore the fact that Greiss had 39 saves. They showed replays of Ovechkin’s hits but they didn’t replay Murray’s. They praise Orlov but they don’t mention Justin Braun. Then they say the urban legend is undervalued. A pathetic performance by NBCSP.

Hatrick Marleau

Alex,

They took a goal away from Marleau.

Alex

Hatrick Marleau,
They did initially but then they gave it back to him so he ended up with two after all.

NickG; yes on using the gravatar email login. Also tried clearing my cache on ie9.

Do you have to list some website on the Merc login too?

Bubba

@Hattrick

According to DP’s tweet they gave the goal back to Marleau.

I was at the game tonight, so I didn’t see the broadcast, but I know this was the same NBC crew (Emrick, Olczyk, and Uncle Fester) that did the Caps/Rangers game yesterday at MSG…and they were dogging the Capitals hard yesterday. Maybe they felt bad. During that broadcast Pierre made a comment about the “Washington plays the hot Sharks.’ Of course this made laugh, since the Sharks even before Sunday night’s game have been middling the last 10 games.

@Pucky

I hope you’re right. There’s a big game Sunday on national TV. The Sharks are one of three teams to win in Detroit this year. It would be great to be the team that ends that streak.

I was looking for DP in the press box tonight. My seats weren’t too far away, but not a great angle to see. I know where the Caps beat writers sit, but I couldn’t see DP even though his tweets kept vibrating my phone 100 feet away.

In the club seats below us, I saw someone wearing a Gaetz sweater and that made me smile. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years of Sharks hockey.

MLBSF

Alex,

Remind me again how many Stanley Cups Marleau has led the Sharks to?

Who cares about personal stats.

Shark Fin

Two goals tonight that should never happen- Boyle’s slap shot from beyond center ice to score and the Caps scoring with a second left to end the period.

Right now the Blues are a better team than the Sharks. Though Bakes did point out that if you take away the PP goals in the first three matches, the Blues have only outscored the Sharks by one goal- not domination but smothering defense as the Sharks have only scored 1x in three games vs. STL.

homer

NHL.com boxscore says Marleau scored 2, but was a -2. How is that possible? Doesn’t that mean he must have been on the ice when Wash scored 4? But they only scored 3. Is my math bad, or do I not understand +/-?

homer

Never mind — I think PPGs don’t count on +/-.

just saying

that Couture has gone 3 games without a goal now.

Ryan Holmes

MSLBSFRF Don’t the Panthers need a fan, or perhaps you do, really, what happened that made you so flipping bitter? How is that working for you?

MLBSF

Ryan I’m not bitter

I’m just being honest.

Zero Stanley Cups = MLBSF being highly critical

Shark_Bit

12 teams have 0 Stanley cups, and about being a relentlessly critical fan base ask the canucks how thats worked out for them. 40 years no cup. The Leafs have done real well since the league expanded past 6 teams

NB Finfan

I must have been listening to a different game cause I thought the NBC guys were brutal on the Caps. They were giving this game to the “surgical” Sharks by the end of the 2nd period.

GP

Well, if Pierre the Oaf wants to call the Urban Legend “undervalued?” Let’em. Maybe on the scouts or GMs with an extra 5th rounder will make their move aye?

GP

There are 12 teams without a cup? How can that be? Isn’t that nearly half the league? I thought after reading comments at WTC from the expert commentors here, winning the SC is an easy thing to do. I’d bet #39 gets that text twice a day.

Can you say “restraining order?”

GP

“The Sharks didn’t need to win tonight against Washington.”

Did I actually read that correctly?

Does it matter what the context was in that statement? btw: the correct answer is no.

So without further ado, I bring you WTC’s hockey brain….MLFullOfBS.

MLBSF

Of course the context matters, and you took one sentence and posted it out of context.

You know I meant they didn’t need to win against Washington to gain confidence.

You should work for FOX News with your shoddy and dishonest journalism.

Buddy Elf

“Of course the context matters, and you took one sentence and posted it out of context… You should work for FOX News with your shoddy and dishonest journalism.”

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.

Coming from the donkey who has twice tried to twist what I wrote by lying and adding and subtracting words, to try to get everyone to believe I was wrong even though they could all read it for themselves.

Coming from the donkey who went on and on and on blaming GP for starting the political discussions because you didn’t have the sack to rail on icehawkey for starting the political discussions. Then, despite repeated attempts by multiple here to tell you that you were wrong about GP starting it, you continued the political discussions (which you supposedly hate, yet you continued them… just like your idol Tim Thomas)… then you didn’t even have the sack to admit you were wrong.

Coming from the donkey who takes quotes from the players and coaches and adds sentences, words, and takes their quotes out of context all of the time.

———–

Alright, I truly am just going to ignore this donkey. He is obviously just here to be a troll. He is not a Sharks fan.

I am going to attempt to ignore this kid and his chorus of sock puppets.

nolimits (DET-Diva)

Everyone is so uptight in here.
It was nice to be able to see a Sharks game on the NBC sports channel. Can’t wait till Sunday at the Joe!!

SJ is supposed to beat teams like Washington and Chicago who are facing some serious adversity right now. Also, SJ’s WC record is 22-14-6. Only DET, VAN, NASH and STL have better WC records.

Look I know, I’ve been there. You start dissecting every aspect of your team but right now what matters most is not going on an extended losing streak. Plus all SJ has to do is stay ahead of LAK although those Yotes are scary, but SJ is always in it even if they do not match intensity every single shift. It’s pretty much a given that SJ will make the playoffs.

In fact I am so confident that this year the WCF will be SJ vs. DET 😉

Buddy Elf

“In fact I am so confident that this year the WCF will be SJ vs. DET”

Sweet! The Sharks will make make it to the Cup Finals then! =)

nolimits (DET-Diva)

I suppose you could say 3 times the charm (maybe) #130

Dirty Bionic Eyeball

It was nice to see the puck take some lucky bounces in the right direction for the Sharks for a change. What wasn’t luck was the hard work and concentrated effort put in by each line. It seemed as if everyone was committed to their assignments and to the system for the whole 60.

It was very pleasing to watch, and I found myself lounging back like Mr. Burns, uttering an occasional, “Eeeexcellent.” Speaking of cartoons, I swear that Jonesy is the human incarnation of Peter Griffin.

ice

i thought the NBC telecast was fairly even this time around. they recognized the sharks domination and gave credit where it was due, for the most part. not too bad. still not as good as randy and drew.

Buddy Elf

The Wild are now 12th in the conference. They are 5 points out of a playoff spot and only have 2 games in hand.

I called their downfall.

SactoShark

And the Wild are none too happy about Seto.

Beer League

Buddy Elf, I was just about to point out how wildly minny has fallen.
Jumbo is 5th in Assists, 20th in points. Logan, Pav’s, and Patty all in the top 20 in goals scored, and all three just outside the top 30 in points. Nice work. Keep it up.

Buddy Elf

Buddy Elf says:
December 17th, 2011 at 6:26 pm

I remember when Dallas was in the same spot last year as the Wild are and everyone was scared… They will drop… I am calling right now.

Network sports TV people play-by-play are trained rigorously to follow two tenets (the NFL started it and has mastered it but all the other sports have fallen in lock-step):

1. Every player is great and every thing happens as the result of a great play.

2. Front-run like heck. If you want them to praise your team, get ahead.

Because it happens so rarely (Detroit fans, on the other hand, must think NBC is headquartered in a men’s room on the plaza level of Joe Louis Arena) I was very interested in hearing the NBC crew talk about the Sharks.

Some of what they say is pump-up piffle to keep people from changing channels and to obey tenets 1 and 2, but most of what they say reflects league-wide conventional wisdom because they do watch a lot of hockey, they do talk to people in other hockey cities, they do have abused interns doing research and making note cards for them, and they have a profound knowledge of the game unmatched by even the most intense fan. So while WTC is populated by a wide range of people, I’m guessing we’re short on (as Johnny Peirson, old Bruins’ TV color guy used to say) “former-ex” NHL players/coaches.

When they err, it is because they see most teams infrequently and lack first-hand familiarity. When we err, it is because we see too few teams and lack perspective. That is why there is this obsession with Sharks’ mistakes (as if no other team makes them), lack of effort (every blog in every city is full of the same screeds about the local unfavorite), poor coaching (note how the magical Quennville is about to be canned–at least in the press–because he has lost his team or whatever other sin he has commited).

GP

LTNC, very nice assessment. Much more eloquent than I have ever eluded to here.

And, to keep with the “fair and balanced” theme, if Q gets dispatched in the Windy City, I still don’t think it will happen this season, I will gladly admit I was wrong about that lil tidbit.